Wheatgrass

Also called wheat grass, Triticum aestivum leaf, wheatgrass juice, wheatgrass powder.

Best grade D across 6 graded outcomes Botanical Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 11 sources

Wheatgrass is the young wheat leaf, taken as juice or powder. Human evidence is thin: one 23-person trial in ulcerative colitis and one 59-woman lipid study reported benefits (grade D), blood-transfusion and chemotherapy studies were mostly uncontrolled, and a placebo-controlled wheatgrass cream did no better than placebo for heel pain.

Every graded outcome on this page

6 rows · line = participants

Grade DHeel pain and foot function with a wheatgrass cream (chronic plantar fasciitis)Painn 80
Grade DBlood-count problems during breast cancer chemotherapyChemotherapy supportn 60
Grade DCholesterol, triglycerides and ApoB in hyperlipidemic womenCholesteroln 59
Grade DTransfusion needs in children with thalassemiaBlood transfusionn 54
Grade DAcute tooth pain from irreversible pulpitis (sublingual extract)Dental painn 45
Grade DDisease activity and rectal bleeding in active distal ulcerative colitisGutn 19
3 more graded outcomes, in the evidence chapter

Key facts

What it is: The young leaf of common wheat (Triticum aestivum), juiced fresh or freeze-dried into powder or tablets^1,2
Best placebo-controlled trial: 23 adults with active distal ulcerative colitis: 100 mL juice daily for 1 month lowered a disease-activity index versus placebo¹
Blood lipids: 3.5 g/day of freeze-dried powder for 10 weeks lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides and ApoB versus no treatment in 59 women²
Topical cream: No better than placebo cream for chronic heel pain (plantar fasciitis) in 80 people⁸
Reported side effect: Worsened nausea made 6 people stop juice during chemotherapy in a 60-person study⁶

What it is

Wheatgrass is the young leaf of the common wheat plant, sold as fresh juice, tablets or freeze-dried powder.

How it works

Proposed

Proponents credit chlorophyll and antioxidant compounds. The colitis trial authors detected antioxidant activity in fresh juice by cyclic voltammetry, and a small study reported lower oxidative-stress markers, but no human study has tied a specific compound to a clinical effect.^1,9

Forms, side by side

3 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Wheatgrass forms compared

3 forms

Wheatgrass forms compared: 3 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
3 forms	Fresh wheatgrass juice	Freeze-dried powder, capsules or tablets	Cream
Absorption in people	No human absorption data.¹	No human absorption data.²	Applied to the skin, not swallowed.⁸
GI tolerance	No serious side effects in the colitis trial; worsened nausea led 6 of 30 people to stop during chemotherapy.^1,6	No adverse effects were reported in the lipid study abstract.²	Not reported in the abstract.⁸
Studied for	Ulcerative colitis (100 mL/day) and chemotherapy support (60 mL/day)	Blood lipids (3.5 g/day) and transfusion studies	Plantar fasciitis (no benefit over placebo)

Fresh wheatgrass juice
Absorption in people
No human absorption data.¹
GI tolerance
No serious side effects in the colitis trial; worsened nausea led 6 of 30 people to stop during chemotherapy.^1,6
Studied for
Ulcerative colitis (100 mL/day) and chemotherapy support (60 mL/day)
Freeze-dried powder, capsules or tablets
Absorption in people
No human absorption data.²
GI tolerance
No adverse effects were reported in the lipid study abstract.²
Studied for
Blood lipids (3.5 g/day) and transfusion studies
Wheatgrass cream
Absorption in people
Applied to the skin, not swallowed.⁸
GI tolerance
Not reported in the abstract.⁸
Studied for
Plantar fasciitis (no benefit over placebo)

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

6 graded outcomes, largest study first

6 graded outcomes: 4 improved, 2 no effect. The largest, a 2006 randomized trial of 80 people on heel pain and foot function with a wheatgrass cream (chronic plantar fasciitis), found no effect.

By sizeTable

1Heel pain and foot function with a wheatgrass cream (chronic plantar fasciitis)

No effect · Grade D · RCT, 80 people, 2006

Adults with chronic plantar fasciitis

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
Heel pain and foot function with a wheatgrass cream (chronic plantar fasciitis)	No effect	80	Grade D · RCT, 2006	Adults with chronic plantar fasciitis
Blood-count problems during breast cancer chemotherapy	Improved	60	Grade D · Open-label trial, 2007	Women with breast cancer on FAC chemotherapy
Cholesterol, triglycerides and ApoB in hyperlipidemic women	Improved	59	Grade D · RCT, 2017	South Asian women with high blood lipids
Transfusion needs in children with thalassemia	No effect	54	Grade D · RCT, 2018	Children with thalassemia on regular blood transfusions
Acute tooth pain from irreversible pulpitis (sublingual extract)	Improved	45	Grade D · RCT, 2026	Adults aged 18 to 40 with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (India)
Disease activity and rectal bleeding in active distal ulcerative colitis	Improved	19	Grade D · RCT, 2002	Adults with active distal ulcerative colitis (Israel)

Every graded row

6 rows

Form tested

Showing 6 of 6 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade DHeel pain and foot function with a wheatgrass cream (chronic plantar fasciitis)PainNo effectRCT
n 80 · 2006

No effect First-step pain and foot function improved equally with wheatgrass and placebo creams; no difference between groups.

Design: RCT, n = 80, 2006
Population: Adults with chronic plantar fasciitis
Form: Topical wheatgrass cream
Dose: Applied twice daily
Duration: 6 weeks (12-week follow-up)
Source: Reference 8 · PubMed 16473748 (opens PubMed)

Grade DBlood-count problems during breast cancer chemotherapyChemotherapy supportImprovedOpen-label trial
n 60 · 2007

Improved Treatment-limiting events (dose cuts, delays or growth-factor support) were fewer than in matched controls (5 vs 15); 6 people stopped the juice because of worsened nausea.

Design: Open-label trial, n = 60, 2007
Population: Women with breast cancer on FAC chemotherapy
Form: Wheatgrass juice
Dose: 60 mL/day
Duration: First three chemotherapy cycles
Source: Reference 6 · PubMed 17571966 (opens PubMed)

Grade DCholesterol, triglycerides and ApoB in hyperlipidemic womenCholesterolImprovedRCT
n 59 · 2017

Improved Total cholesterol fell 5.4%, LDL 4.4% and triglycerides 9.5%; baseline-adjusted TC, TAG and ApoB were lower than in the untreated control group. HDL also fell 6%. Menopausal symptoms did not change significantly.

Design: RCT, n = 59, 2017
Population: South Asian women with high blood lipids
Form: Freeze-dried wheatgrass powder in capsules
Dose: 3.5 g/day
Duration: 10 weeks
Source: Reference 2 · PubMed 28121470 (opens PubMed)

Grade DTransfusion needs in children with thalassemiaBlood transfusionNo effectRCT
n 54 · 2018

No effect The number of transfusions and the transfusion requirement did not differ from the no-wheatgrass control group; serum ferritin rose significantly only in controls.

Design: RCT, n = 54, 2018
Population: Children with thalassemia on regular blood transfusions
Form: Wheatgrass (form not stated in the abstract)
Dose: Not stated in the abstract
Duration: 18 months
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 29755902 (opens PubMed)

Grade DAcute tooth pain from irreversible pulpitis (sublingual extract)Dental painImprovedRCT
n 45 · 2026

Improved Pain scores fell more with wheatgrass and with piroxicam than with placebo after 30 minutes, and more with wheatgrass than with piroxicam.

Design: RCT, n = 45, 2026
Population: Adults aged 18 to 40 with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (India)
Form: Wheatgrass extract, sublingual
Dose: 500 mg once (vs piroxicam 20 mg or a placebo sugar tablet)
Duration: Single dose, pain rated 30 minutes later
Source: Reference 10 · PubMed 41636988 (opens PubMed)

Grade DDisease activity and rectal bleeding in active distal ulcerative colitisGutImprovedRCT
n 19 · 2002

Improved The overall disease-activity index (p=0.031) and rectal bleeding severity (p=0.025) fell more than with a matching placebo; no serious side effects.

Design: RCT, n = 19, 2002
Population: Adults with active distal ulcerative colitis (Israel)
Form: Fresh wheatgrass juice
Dose: 100 mL/day
Duration: 1 month
Source: Reference 1 · PubMed 11989836 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

Only one placebo-controlled oral trial

Of the oral studies here, only the 23-person colitis trial used a matching placebo; the lipid study compared against no treatment.^1,2

Transfusion claims faded with a control group

Two uncontrolled reports in children with thalassemia described fewer transfusions, but an 18-month randomized comparison found no difference.^3,4,5

HDL fell too

In the lipid study, HDL ("good") cholesterol dropped 6% along with total cholesterol and triglycerides.²

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single 500 mg sublingual dose of extract (dental pain) and 3.5 g/day of freeze-dried powder for 10 weeks to 60–100 mL/day of fresh juice for 1 month to several chemotherapy cycles; transfusion studies in children ran up to 18 months.^1,6,2,5,10

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

Interactions

0 agents

None found in our sources.

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Wheatgrass and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Wheatgrass.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

3 groups

People having chemotherapy: Juice was added to chemotherapy only inside supervised studies, and worsened nausea made some people stop.^6,7
Children with thalassemia: The only randomized study found no change in transfusion needs; earlier positive reports were uncontrolled.^5,3,4
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: The wheatgrass studies give no safety data for pregnancy or breastfeeding, and LactMed and LiverTox have no wheatgrass record. NCCIH notes that many supplements have not been tested in pregnant women or nursing mothers.^1,2,11

Reading the label, and the cost per dose

Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.

How to read the label

2 checks

Label dose vs studied dose

The lipid study used 3.5 g/day of freeze-dried powder; the juice studies used 60–100 mL/day of fresh juice. Powder and juice amounts are not interchangeable.^2,1,6

Juice, powder and cream are different products

Each form has its own small study, and the only skin-cream trial found no benefit, so results from one form do not carry over.^1,2,8

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, wheatgrass included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch

Your numbers, no product data

Price paid ($)Servings per containerWheatgrass powder per serving (mg)

Compare against

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Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

7 answers

Does wheatgrass help gut inflammation?

One small placebo-controlled trial in 23 adults with active distal ulcerative colitis found lower disease activity and less rectal bleeding after 100 mL/day of juice for a month. It has not been repeated.¹

Does wheatgrass lower cholesterol?

In 59 women with high lipids, 3.5 g/day of powder for 10 weeks lowered total cholesterol, triglycerides and ApoB versus no treatment, though HDL also fell.²

Does wheatgrass reduce blood transfusions in thalassemia?

Uncontrolled reports said yes, but an 18-month randomized study in 54 children found no difference in the number of transfusions.^3,5

Does wheatgrass cream help heel pain?

No. In 80 people with chronic plantar fasciitis, wheatgrass cream did no better than placebo cream over 6 weeks.⁸

Does wheatgrass have side effects?

Studies report few, but worsened nausea made 6 people stop drinking the juice during chemotherapy.^6,1

Does wheatgrass interact with medicines?

We found no published drug interactions: the trials report none, and LiverTox and LactMed have no wheatgrass record. NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about every supplement you use, because supplements can interact with medicines or matter before surgery.¹¹

What is wheatgrass?

The young leaf of the common wheat plant, sold as fresh juice, freeze-dried powder, tablets or capsules.^1,2

Sources

11 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

11 sources

1Wheat grass juice in the treatment of active distal ulcerative colitis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.RCT Scand J Gastroenterol, 2002 · PMID 11989836
2Impact of Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) Supplementation on Atherogenic Lipoproteins and Menopausal Symptoms in Hyperlipidemic South Asian Women - A Randomized Controlled Study.RCT J Diet Suppl, 2017 · PMID 28121470
3Wheat grass juice reduces transfusion requirement in patients with thalassemia major: a pilot study.Observational Indian Pediatr, 2004 · PMID 15297687
4Effect of wheat grass tablets on the frequency of blood transfusions in Thalassemia Major.Observational Indian J Pediatr, 2010 · PMID 20135271
5Efficacy and Safety of Wheat Grass in Thalassemic Children on Regular Blood Transfusion.RCT Cureus, 2018 · PMID 29755902
6Wheat grass juice may improve hematological toxicity related to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients: a pilot study.Open-label trial Nutr Cancer, 2007 · PMID 17571966
7Wheatgrass Juice Administration and Immune Measures during Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Colon Cancer Patients: Preliminary Results.Observational Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2020 · PMID 32585974
8The effect of topical wheatgrass cream on chronic plantar fasciitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.RCT Complement Ther Med, 2006 · PMID 16473748
9Wheat grass supplementation decreases oxidative stress in healthy subjects: a comparative study with spirulina.RCT J Altern Complement Med, 2007 · PMID 17983333
10Evaluation of the analgesic effect of sublingual administration of wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum) extract for dental pain management in irreversible pulpitis: a randomized clinical trial.RCT Odontology, 2026 · PMID 41636988
11Using Dietary Supplements WiselyFact sheet National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2019 · nccih.nih.gov

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

4 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026evidence, studied doses, who should be careful, FAQ	Added a 2026 single-dose trial of sublingual wheatgrass extract for dental pain (PMID 41636988, graded D, marked as a clinic use). Interaction check: LiverTox and LactMed have no wheatgrass record and no interaction is published; said so in a new FAQ answer and the pregnancy note, now citing NCCIH. PubMed search for 2023 to 2026 human trials found no other qualifying study.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 18, 2026Evidence	Corrected the study design on: Blood-count problems during breast cancer chemotherapy. Researchers assigned patients to wheatgrass juice or usual supportive care in a matched-control design with no placebo, so it is an open-label intervention trial, not an observational study.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: Correction
Oct 17, 2026all	First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title, journal and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for each cited row.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page
Oct 17, 2026all	Adversarial review pass: every number in each evidence row's result, dose, duration, n and population fields was machine-checked against its PubMed abstract, and figures not in an abstract were confirmed in the PMC full text (noted per row). Unverified study-country, funding and mechanism wording was removed or sourced, rows whose sample size could not be confirmed were dropped, and retraction, erratum and expression-of-concern flags were checked on every PMID (two errata, noted on their rows; no retractions). Page set indexable.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: review

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